Tesla ordered to correct air quality violations at Fremont Factory

Tesla has been ordered by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to correct “ongoing air quality violations” at the Fremont Factory in Northern California.

On Tuesday, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) said it “sought the abatement order to stop frequent and ongoing violations from the paint shop operations” at Tesla’s Fremont Factory.

Tesla has received over 112 notices of violations regarding air quality violations since 2019. The BAAQMD said each of the air violations can emit hundreds of pounds of illegal air pollution, with some being frequent and potentially causing a negative impact on public health and the environment.

Tesla sued again over Fremont paint shop emissions

Dr. Philip Fine, Executive Officer at the Air District, said:

“Tesla’s ongoing violations at their Fremont facility pose a risk to public health and air quality in the surrounding community. This order is crucial to ensure that Tesla takes prompt and effective action to stop harmful emissions and comply with all air quality regulations to protect the health of those living near the facility.”

The BAAQMD said Tesla has, in some cases, had its thermal oxidizer or related components of the abatement system break down. This has caused periods of “emissions to automatically be vented directly into the atmosphere without proper abatement as a result.”

It also said Tesla will shut down the abatement system manually when there are problems with other equipment in the paint shop.

Tesla’s Fremont Factory in 2022 (Credit: Tesla)

The agency said it will require Tesla to implement a plan to address the violations in a two-step process:

• First, hire a third-party consultant to do an evaluation and make recommendations. Tesla must then develop a proposed implementation plan to implement the recommendations, which it will file with the Hearing Board for approval.
• Second, execute the implementation plan as approved by the Hearing Board to stop the avoidable release of uncontrolled emissions, except where it may be absolutely necessary for safety reasons.

This is not the first time Tesla has been in hot water over air quality at the Fremont Factory. In May 2021, it agreed to pay a $1 million fine and install a solar roof project on top of the production plant as a part of a settlement with the BAAQMD after 33 violations were found.

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